30 Years Ago Michael Drummond Became the 1st Heart Failure Patient to be Successfully Bridged to a Donor Heart Transplant
In 1985, Michael Drummond desperately needed a heart transplant to save his life, but no donor heart was available. On Sept. 8, 1985, the Total Artificial Heart became the first long-term device to successfully bridge a dying patient to transplant.
Sep 2, 2015 4:30 PM ET
![Robert Jarvik, left, talks about the display of the first Total Artificial Heart used to bridge Michael Drummond to a successful donor heart transplant. Also attending the 1985 press conference are, from left, Dr. Mark Levinson, heart transplant patient Michael Drummond and Dr. Jack Copeland. © 1985 Arizona Board of Regents/The University of Arizona Health Sciences BioCommunications](https://3blaws.s3.amazonaws.com/styles/carousel_2x/s3/images/Drummond-1985-pressconference.jpg)
›› See never-before published photos during and after Michael Drummond’s historic heart transplant.
The successful bridge to a donor heart transplant (BTT) 30 years ago revolutionized the treatment of end-stage biventricular (both sides) heart failure when Michael Drummond received a Total Artificial Heart implant -- a direct predecessor of the modern SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart (TAH-t)... click to read more